Conducting the high temperature WGS reaction in Pd and PdCu multi-tube membrane reactors

FUEL 93

Robert M. Enick, enick@engr.pitt.edu1, Osemwengie Iyoha2, Bryan D. Morreale, bryan.morreale@netl.doe.gov3, Michael V. Ciocco, Michael.Ciocco@pp.netl.doe.gov4, Bret H. Howard, BRET.HOWARD@netl.doe.gov5, and Richard P. Killmeyer5. (1) US DOE NETL, NETL Faculty Fellow, University of Pittsburgh, Dept. of Chem. & Pet. Eng, 1249 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, (2) US DOE NETL, NETL Research Fellow, Chem. Eng., Univ. of Pittsburgh, P.O. Box 10940, Pittsburgh, PA, (3) National Energy Technology Laboratory, United States Department of Energy, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, (4) NETL Support Contractor, Parsons, P.O. Box 618, South Park, PA 15129, (5) National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, P.O. Box 10940, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236
The forward water-gas-shift has been conducted in a Pd-based membrane reactor with a shell-and-tube configuration at 1173K and pressures up to 3MPa. The thin-walled membrane tubes were composed of either Pd or a Pd80wt%-Cu alloy. CO or a representative gasifier effluent mixture was fed to the reactor on the tube-side, along with excess steam. No heterogeneous catalyst particles were used, and residence times varied between 1-10 seconds. Both reactors exhibited perfect selectivity for hydrogen, and CO conversions far exceeded those attained in a conventional (non-membrane) reactor with stainless steel tubes. Nearly complete CO conversions were realized with Pd tubes because Pd permeance exceeds that of the PdCu alloy. Pd and Pd80Cu coupons were then exposed to H2 + H2S (1000 ppm) at temperatures up to 1173K and characterized prior to operating the membrane reactors with this common gasifier effluent present in the feed stream.
 

Advances in Hydrogen Production
1:30 PM-5:05 PM, Monday, 11 September 2006 Palace -- Marina Room, Oral

Division of Fuel Chemistry

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006